Extracellular vesicles in sputum of children with cystic fibrosis pulmonary exacerbations.

Background: The aim of this study was to quantify mediators of neutrophilic inflammation within airway extracellular vesicles (EVs) of children treated for a cystic fibrosis (CF) pulmonary exacerbation (PEx).

Methods: EVs were isolated from stored sputum samples collected before and after antibiotic therapy for PEx between 2011 and 2013, and characterised by nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Western blot analysis of EV protein extracts was used for EV canonical protein markers CD63, CD9 and flotillin-1 (FLOT1), as well as neutrophil elastase (NE), myeloperoxidase (MPO) and interleukin-8.

Risk Factors for Developing Adenovirus-Associated Post-Infectious Bronchiolitis Obliterans.

Background: Risk factors for progression of adenovirus (AdV)-associated bronchiolitis (AdV-B) to post-infectious bronchiolitis obliterans (PIBO) are poorly defined. We aimed to investigate this in a multicenter cohort.

Methods: A multicenter hospital-based analysis included children admitted with AdV-B in Jerusalem during 2016-2022.

Novel Isoforms of Adhesion G Protein-Coupled Receptor B1 (ADGRB1/BAI1) Generated from an Alternative Promoter in Intron 17.

Brain-specific angiogenesis inhibitor 1 (BAI1) belongs to the adhesion G-protein-coupled receptors, which exhibit large multi-domain extracellular N termini that mediate cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions. To explore the existence of BAI1 isoforms, we queried genomic datasets for markers of active chromatin and new transcript variants in the ADGRB1 (adhesion G-protein-coupled receptor B1) gene. Two major types of mRNAs were identified in human/mouse brain, those with a start codon in exon 2 encoding a full-length protein of a predicted size of 173.

Targeting Integrin α3 Blocks β1 Maturation, Triggers Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress, and Sensitizes Glioblastoma Cells to TRAIL-Mediated Apoptosis.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a devastating brain cancer for which new effective therapies are urgently needed. GBM, after an initial response to current treatment regimens, develops therapeutic resistance, leading to rapid patient demise. Cancer cells exhibit an inherent elevation of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress due to uncontrolled growth and an unfavorable microenvironment, including hypoxia and nutrient deprivation.

SPLUNC1 as a biomarker of pulmonary exacerbations in children with cystic fibrosis.

Background: Short palate, lung, and nasal epithelium clone 1 (SPLUNC1) is an innate defence protein that acts as an anti-microbial agent and regulates airway surface liquid volume through inhibition of the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC). SPLUNC1 levels were found to be reduced in airway secretions of adults with cystic fibrosis (CF). The potential of SPLUNC1 as a biomarker in children with CF is unknown.